Chapter 2
I waited by the base of the tree where I recalled I first entered Hyrule. The song of the night serenaded my weary mind with chirping bugs and hooting birds. Suddenly, those sounds vanished, replaced by crunching. I stood utterly still, even stopped breathing in hopes I might go unnoticed in the darkness. My left arm was snatched first, and then the right, causing me to drop my new dress on a patch of dirt. I could see the faces of men grinning at me with terrible menace. Without prior experience, I could not guess at their intention. A third man approached from directly in front of me. I felt threatened, so I twisted my arms in vain for freedom. I watched his arm rise and the palm of his hand flew toward my face. I clenched my eyes at the hot pain on my cheek. I whimpered as the sting of the smack spread. He snatched the pendant of my necklace and tore it from around my neck. "Leave me alone," I cried in protest. "I carry nothing of value!"
The man, whose muscular outline I saw only by the moonlight, jerked his head. "Tie her up," he ordered. My arms were roughly yanked behind me, and a rope tightly bound around my wrist.
"Stop," I pleaded. "What do you want with me?"
"Since your only possession is this worthless trinket, I will sell you to the highest bidder," he explained arrogantly. I gasped. Was this part of Ganon's test? Was he trying to eliminate me because I failed my first mission? The leader of the bandits grabbed the back of my head when his companions stepped away. He tightened his grip on my hair and forced me to walk in front of him. The tearing of my hair from my skull was agonizing. I cried miserably, just wanting the pain to be over. "Don't worry, I test all of my goods before I sell them," he said with wicked laughter, and the other men joined. "I would hate to sell a woman who failed to perform!" The ground sprung open at the base of the tree. Moblins and stalfos rushed out, focusing their attack on the two closest bandits. Behind them marched my master, with magic swirling between his hands. My assailant drew a knife that he pressed to my throat. I shrieked out of fear. "Hey, pig face, this is my prize! Get out of here before I cut her, so neither of us win."
"You won't live long enough to regret laying your filthy hands on what belongs to me," Ganon shouted, and simultaneously released his deadly magic. Three orbs of red, blue, and green propelled forward. The bandit leader was petrified. The spinning energies collided with him and he was knocked back several feet. With my hair free of his grip I landed on my knees. I leaned over to investigate the result of the magic on his body. His eyes were still and staring, while his jaw was slack. The man who threatened me was dead. "Kilena," my master screamed. I wrestled myself away, scrambled clumsily to my feet, and rushed home through the wide open mouth to the Underworld. I only stopped when I reached the throne, and fell to my knees to catch my breath. Panting turned to sobbing as I realized I was just rescued from a terrible fate. Apparently, being a beautiful woman was a blessing and a curse.
Ganon appeared directly in front of me, his arms over his chest, obviously cross. This was the first I realized he possessed the ability to travel anywhere in the blink of an eye, and it startled me. I felt no threat. I was only grateful. I stared up at him from my knees and apologized. "Thank you, master, for saving my life. I am sorry you were forced to come to my rescue."
"You are fortunate that you are still useful to me, so that I must protect you, or he would have had his way with you," he sneered. "As it is, I could not stand by idly and allow someone else to defile my creation." At the finish of his words, he opened one hand out to me. There was a spark, and my wrists were free. "Rise," he ordered.
I quickly obeyed and wiped away the tears on my cheeks. "I am sincerely grateful, master."
"You met Zelda and her hero today," he stated, rather than asked, moving on. "You experienced the kindness in the world, and the evil, other than myself of course. What impression has today's events left on you?" he wondered.
I did not hesitate to freely speak my thoughts. "Link and Zelda's trusting nature could be a weakness, especially since they were so willing to aid me without asking my name, or realizing I am their enemy. The people of Hyrule are warm and welcoming. I can see why they fear you. On the other hand, there are obvious reasons that people cannot be trusted. The people who might accept me are my enemy, and everyone else might want to hurt me, or worse. Master, you are the only one I can trust," I reasoned, as if the thought was an epiphany.
"Exactly, my pet."
This ignited a strange sensation that surged from my chest, through my body, and ended at my fingertips. My life was in Ganon's hands, and there was no better place. I needed to do everything, even the impossible, to see his ambitions achieved. "I swear my undying devotion to you, master. My will is yours to command."
He chuckled and I felt a sense of accomplishment. "Then your day was successful, and tomorrow my plan goes into action," he explained. "Tomorrow you will continued to attract Link's attention, until you can take him away from the castle and slip him a potion that will put him to sleep. We will capture him, and force Zelda to forfeit the Triforce of Wisdom, to marry me, or her precious hero will die."
My sensation of admiration dissolved. "You want to marry Zelda?" I blurted out before I thought. My heart raced in my chest, but I could not explain the emotion causing this dramatic reaction. "Why?"
"With her as my bride, I will be the undisputed King of Hyrule," he explained impatiently.
"You taught me that the powers of the Triforce are more than enough to make you king. You'll be so powerful! The people of Hyrule will be forced to bow to you and accept you as their true leader," I said persuasively, and attempted to avoid sounding disparaged.
The anger in his eyes made it apparent I failed to control my tone. He snarled, and I flinched. I closed my eyes and tensed, prepared for his punishment. I expected to be hit, as the bandit did a few minutes prior, but this was worse. Ganon snatched my arm and squeezed. His hand twisted, and, as if he controlled my bones, I felt my arm would break at his might. The pain was intense, and I crumbled to me knees with tears falling freely from my eyes. I begged, "Please, master! Don't break my arm. Please stop hurting me!" He swung his leg with no restraint into my torso. My breath escaped me, and I coughed violently to reclaim fresh air. His grip loosened to my relief, but he held my wrist as if to prevent me from fleeing. I grabbed his free hand hanging at his side, and pressed his fingers to my face. "I'm so sorry, master. I did not mean to insult you," I forced out between deep, sobbing breaths.
"Further insolence, and failure to hold your tongue, will result in a fate worse than death when I'm done with you! A fate that would make being slave a welcome alternative," he screamed.
I trembled, still grasping his hand as if it might provide strength or condolence. "Yes, master," I whimpered. "I understand."
"I don't think you deserve the room I prepared for you," he added, and successfully filled my soul with guilt. I refused to peer up at his ugly scowl. I was ashamed of my behavior. He pulled on my wrist so that I moved to my feet. "In the future, you will not question my intentions," he advised darkly.
"I swear," I answered, and glanced warily at him.
"Good. This way," he ordered, and I followed.
The chambered was furnished with a large bed with deep blue satin sheets, a round sitting table, and a wooden chair. A low fire kindled in the small hearth, with smoke rising through a chimney. I curled under the sheets, reflecting on my day. One question lingered in my mind. Why marry Zelda? This quandary defied all I understood as logical. Did I lack the experience to know the truth? To comprehend? My limited knowledge did tell me that whoever controlled both Triforces would rule the kingdom forever. Ganon could become the most powerful sorcerer and conquer Hyrule. Did he truly desire Zelda? Did he care for her? Did he long to force her to watch her kingdom crumble? These thoughts plagued my mind, as well as the question of why it bothered me so deeply in the first place. His decision was no business of mine, yet my first impulse was to question his judgment and to dare talk him out of marriage to Zelda. Was there something wrong with me?
